Difference Between mysql_pconnect() and mysql_connect()

If you're connecting to a MySQL database in your PHP application, you'll find that there are two alternative connections - mysql_connect which establishes a new connection "each time" andmysql_pconnect which uses persistent connections. Which should you use?

Mysql_connect opens a new connection each time a PHP page is called up, and closes the connection down again at the end of the request. It's ideal for pages that don't have a heavy usage - doesn't need tuning, is straightforward internally. If you compare MySQL to a shop, this is the connection that you would use for a small shop where the door is opened each time a new customer wishes to enter.

Mysql_pconnect will also open a new connection when a PHP page is called up (at any rate, it will the first time after a server reboot), but it will NOT close the connection at the end of the request - instead, it will save it in a connection pool so that a subsequent request can continue to use the same connection. It's intended for pages that do have a heavy usage - where the resources burn up by opening and closing connections every time might have a severe effect on performance. If your local supermarket had a door that was opened each time someone went in and out, there would be a lot of needless opening and closing going on - better to leave it open and let a whole lot of people in and out at the same time.

But mysql_pconnect does require some tuning of the servers and you may need to limit the numbers of connections / children and configure timeouts and how to deal with idle children. The PHP website includes an overview of this to get you started.

Finally, it is worth stressing what a persistent connect does NOT give you. It does NOT give you sessions. It does NOT give you a per-site-visitor login. It does NOT give you any extra functionality. What it does give you - in the right circumstances - is an efficiency improvement.

How session variables work

Session variables store information (usually form or URL parameters submitted by users) and make it available to all of a web application’s pages for the duration of the user’s visit. For example, when users log on to a web portal that provides access to e‑mail, stock quotes, weather reports, and daily news, the web application stores the login information in a session variable that identifies the user throughout the site’s pages. This allows the user to see only the types of content they have selected as they navigate through the site. Session variables can also provide a safety mechanism by terminating the user’s session if the account remains inactive for a certain period of time. This also frees server memory and processing resources if the user forgets to log off a website.

Session variables store information for the life of the use session. The session begins when the user opens a page within the application and ends when the user does not open another page in the application for a certain period of time, or when the user explicitly terminates the session (typically by clicking a “log-off” link). While it exists, the session is specific to an individual user, and every user has a separate session.

Use session variables to store information that every page in a web application can access. The information can be as diverse as the user’s name, preferred font size, or a flag indicating whether the user has successfully logged in. Another common use of session variables is to keep a running tally, such as the number of questions answered correctly so far in an online quiz, or the products the user selected so far from an online catalog.

Session variables can only function if the user’s browser is configured to accept cookies. The server creates a session ID number that uniquely identifies the user when the session is first initiated, then sends a cookie containing the ID number to the user’s browser. When the user requests another page on the server, the server reads the cookie in the browser to identify the user and to retrieve the user’s session variables stored in the server’s memory.